On the Lublin section of the border with Belarus, the construction of an electronic barrier at the Bug River is underway. Trees and bushes have been cut down in an area 10 meters from the shoreline, and monitoring will be installed. Nature defenders comment that the losses in the natural environment are huge and senseless, because the removal of trees and the destruction of slopes will increase the speed of erosion. And in a few years, the camera poles will be underwater.
– There aren't even words to describe it. This is completely mindless and senseless devastation. Even apart from the losses in the natural environment – beaver habitats were destroyed – the river bank will now erode faster and within two or three years the shoreline will reach the poles currently being erected. At least that's what naturalists comment on, says Małgorzata Klemens, a nature photographer associated with the No for the Wall initiative.
It is about the Bug River valley, in the Lublin Voivodeship, along the border with Belarustrees and bushes were cut down. All as part of building an electronic barrier. That is, the system which, as he states, is a part of Border Guard – there will be approximately 1,800 camera poles, approximately 4,500 day-night and thermal cameras and special sensors. The deadline for implementing this project is scheduled for April next year, and the value of the contract is over PLN 279 million.
Hundreds of trees were cut down Małgorzata Klemens
They will be able to monitor the border 24 hours a day
– Thanks to this, Border Guard officers will receive a tool for protecting the state border that detects events related to border crossing and enables 24-hour observation of the border road strip – says Captain Dariusz Sienicki, spokesman for the Nadbużański Border Guard Unit.
When we point out that migrants usually try to cross the land border illegally (in the Podlaskie Voivodeship), and not through the border river, we inform them that this is actually the case, but since the beginning of the year, 395 people have been detained who wanted to get to Poland by crossing Bug.
Agreements with RDOŚ were not required
It also states that the barrier is being built in the Lublin Voivodeship along the entire length of the border with Belarus, i.e. 172 kilometers, while trees and bushes have been removed within 10 m from the river bank.
– Pursuant to art. 10 of the Act on the Protection of the State Border, on land located along the border road, the Border Guard may build devices for the protection of the state border without the need for any acts of application of the law in the form of administrative decisions or contracts – he emphasizes.
Felling was also carried out in nature reserves Małgorzata Klemens
This means that the investment did not require any arrangements with the Regional Directorate for Environmental Protection. Nevertheless, according to Capt. Sienicki, was covered by the environmental supervision of a contractor who cooperates with RDOŚ.
– The scope of cooperation includes, among others: inspecting the work area and taking actions related to nature and environmental protection. This is important due to the scale of interference in the natural environment and the site of the works, as well as the need and type of actions taken to minimize the impact of the investment on the environment, in particular in areas covered by the legal form of nature protection – emphasizes the spokesman (the press department of the Ministry writes about the same Internal Affairs and Administration, to which we sent questions – editor's note).
Trees were also cut down near the church in Nepla Małgorzata Klemens
Nature lover: the form is terrifying
Tourist guide and nature lover Łukasz Synowiecki comments that he saw the scale of destruction even in the nature reserve Switzerland Podlaska in the Terespol commune and the Łęg Dębowy reserve near Janów Podlaski.
– Nobody questions the need to protect the border, but the way it is being done is terrifying. Even the oldest, huge oaks were cut down, the earth was torn up and the slopes were disturbed. Yet trees “bind” the ground and protect against erosion. Now erosion will continue and the slopes will slide, he says.
He adds bitterly that “if Vladimir Putin sees this, he is probably happy that we, as a country, did this to ourselves.”
An area 10 meters from the shoreline was “cleared”.Małgorzata Klemens
– Of course, these trees cannot be restored, but maybe this will be a lesson for the future. Recently, there have been government reports that the border with… Ukraine. I hope that the example of what happened on the Bug River will give someone food for thought and the situation will not repeat itself on the border San River – notes Synowiecki.
Director of IBS PAN: there has been a lot of damage to nature
However, Ph.D. Michał Żmihorski, director of the Institute of Mammal Biology of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Białowieża, comments that although he is not a defense expert, he does not see the need to deforest the entire belt.
– There are hills near the river which, in my opinion, are perfect observation points where cameras could be placed. No need to cut down all trees and shrubs. I have the impression that the decision was not well thought out. There was a lot of damage to nature, he notes.
The landscape will no longer be the same Małgorzata Klemens
RDOŚ issued recommendations
Cezary Wierzchoń, spokesman for the Lublin RDOŚ, informs us that after the Border Guard asked for a position, the management issued recommendations in July.
– They mentioned, among others: that environmental supervision be established over the works and that the works be carried out outside the bird breeding season. And if the work is carried out in nature reserves – the cut wood should be left in these reserves – he enumerates.
We will soon receive information on how RDOŚ assesses the fulfillment of these recommendations. The employees have already been on site visits.
Main photo source: Małgorzata Klemens